I hadn’t really tackled Orion since I first started taking pictures again two years ago, and that was a lazy image of the bright Orion Nebula through the C8. I spent this Summer and Fall anticipating the hunter, wanting to take a crack at the fainter nebulae. I especially wanted to see how well I could get Barnard’s Loop from my backyard.
Unfortunately what is good for California’s drought is not good for deep sky imaging, and the frequent rains and clouds driven by El Niño have had me focused more on equipment mods than sky shots. I’ve watched Orion drift to the west over the last two months during the infrequent breaks from the clouds and moon.
But it did clear up this week (Happy Lunar New Year!) for two crystal moonless nights. I shot with the 50mm one night to try to get Barnard’s Loop. Still figuring out how to best post-process that one. The other night I shot the belt and sword with the 100mm. Here’s that one, heavily cropped. I mainly wanted the Horsehead, but M42 is nice as well. f/3.5, ISO 800 (2 minute subs, Meade filter)
Scott's Sky Shots 